Communication.
What we mean by communication.
Story structure, clarity, stakeholder fit. Not just smooth talk: the ability to frame a problem before pitching a solution, and to flex tone for the room.
Signals we look for.
Frames problems before solutions, lands the C-suite.
Falls into product-feature mode under pressure.
Cannot read the room, defaults to monologue.
Strong rep vs weak rep.
"Before I show you how this works, let me sketch the problem the way I heard it. If I have that wrong, the demo won't land. Here's what I think you're solving for…"
"Great, so let me jump into the demo. We have eight modules. The first one is our analytics suite, which has 14 dashboards…"
An excerpt from a real shortlist.
What this behaviour looks like inside the meritt fit report we send on every Hire with Assessment shortlist.
Frames problems before solutions. Concise on first pass, returns to specifics under pressure. Tone holds across IC and C-suite scenarios.
- Opened the C-suite role-play with a problem statement, not a product pitch
- Used "before I answer that, can I check I understand the question?" twice when pressed
- Adjusted vocabulary noticeably between the AE and CRO simulated calls
Communication is what closes the deal in the room. It is the only behaviour that compounds visibly in the first 30 seconds, and the one a CV will never show you.
Communication, asked and answered.
What is communication as a sales behaviour?
Communication is story structure, clarity and stakeholder fit - not just smooth talk. It is the ability to frame a problem before pitching a solution, and to flex tone for the room, from an individual contributor call to a C-suite conversation. meritt scores it as one of four core behaviours.
How do you assess communication skills in a sales interview?
The strong signal is a candidate who frames the problem before the solution and lands with senior stakeholders. The watch-out is a rep who falls into product-feature mode under pressure. The weak signal is someone who cannot read the room and defaults to monologue. meritt scores each with evidence.
Why does communication predict sales performance?
Communication is what closes the deal in the room. It is the only behaviour that shows visibly in the first 30 seconds of a conversation, and the one a CV will never show you - which is why meritt assesses it through a structured spoken assessment rather than paper screening.
What does strong sales communication sound like?
A rep who checks their understanding before answering: sketching the problem the way they heard it before showing anything, and adjusting vocabulary for the audience. Weak communication sounds like jumping straight into a demo and listing modules, dashboards and features nobody asked about.
More on communication.
Reading that goes deeper on communication and how to hire for it.
Hire on communication.
Every shortlist scored against this behaviour, with the evidence behind each call.
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